Sept.
22, 2006 — Hooded seals, Cystophora cristata, are often called ice seals
due to their preference for Northern ice sheets. However, this summer
there was an increase in Hooded seal sightings and strandings throughout
the entire Eastern seaboard. Members of the NOAA
Fisheries Service Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program
are unsure what is causing the hooded seals to travel to climates that
appear to have an adverse impact on their health. (Click NOAA
image for larger view of hooded seal taken this summer. Click
here for high resolution version. Photo courtesy of Maryland Department
of Natural Resources.)

Although
seeing a hooded seal resting on a beach is not necessarily an unusual
occurrence along the East Coast, seeing one basking in the hot sun can
be alarming. "We don't necessarily picture a hooded seal resting
on a hot sunny beach in Florida, where the air temperature is still
in the 90s," said NOAA Fisheries
Service biologist Jenny Litz. Hooded seals, so named for the inflatable
sac, or 'hood' that is found on top of the nose on adult males, are
typically known to frequent the pack ice of the Northern Atlantic. "We
get concerned when we see them out of their natural environments,"
Litz added.

Hooded
seal pups are usually born in March or April. According to NOAA Fisheries
Service biologist Ulrika Malone, these pups have the shortest known
lactation period for any known mammal—only four to five days.
After that, the mother abandons them and they are on their own. These
highly migratory animals generally are considered to be solitary, except
during the breeding and molting periods. Biologists have known for a
while that hooded seals often travel well outside their normal range,
which extends from New Jersey and further north, primarily north of
the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

This
summer biologists have seen hooded seals from Maine to St. Thomas in
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The occasional summer stranding is not considered
abnormal due to the animal's extensive migratory habits. Hooded seals
usually strand in the late winter, from January to March. Biologists
say that during a typical year, approximately 25-35 hooded seals strand
in the Northeast, with approximately zero-two in the Southeast. However,
a total of 55 hooded seals have stranded (47 in the Northeast and 8
in the Southeast) all along the East Coast of the U.S. and down into
the U.S. Virgin Islands so far in 2006, with the majority of these occurring
in the months of July, August and September. In addition, a large number
of animals have been sighted swimming close to shore, all along the
Eastern seaboard. (Click NOAA image for larger view of hooded
seal taken in August 2006. Click
here for high resolution version. Photo courtesy of Marine Mammal
Stranding Center.)

Most of
the animals that are coming ashore are called "blue-backs."
"We call them blue-backs because their coloration is light grey
on the stomach and dark blue or grey on the back and head, representing
the juvenile stage of the animal," biologist Malone said. "The
animals coming ashore are severely dehydrated, suffering from heat exhaustion,
sun burn and often alopecia (hair loss)." Trained marine mammal
stranding professionals from the NOAA
Marine Mammal Stranding Network observe the hooded seals, and if
they determine that an individual is unhealthy, they attempt to place
them into rehabilitation.

In rehabilitation,
the hooded seal is kept cool by air conditioning and buckets of ice,
and nurtured back to health with the ultimate goal of being released
back into the wild. Due to the extreme volume that has been observed
this summer, many of the rehabilitation centers on the East Coast have
reached capacity. As a consequence, the Stranding Network has collaborated
and transferred seals between rehabilitation facilities along the East
Coast in order to recuperate as many animals as possible. In total,
both the Northeast and Southeast have seen 21 hooded seals enter rehabilitation
facilities. Of these, eight already have been released back into the
wild with a very short rehabilitation time.

The anomaly
of an influx of ice seals in the summer has been observed before, most
recently in 2001. During that year, scientists noted a similar trend
in that the number of hooded seal strandings increased with the majority
occurring during the summer. Currently, about 75 percent of the sightings
from 2006 have occurred in July, August and September. Although scientists
are unsure about what is causing the high number of strandings, some
have speculated that this increase could be due to the pack ice breaking
up earlier, a large pupping year or some other unknown environmental
factor. Unfortunately, not much is known as to what is causing this
increase. However, every stranding must be seen as an opportunity to
learn more about the biology of these threatened animals. "Perhaps
eventually, we will be able to predict these particular wander-lust
years, and be able to plan accordingly within the stranding network,"
Malone added.

To report
a stranded seal, or any other stranded marine mammal, call the NOAA
Fisheries Service Stranding Hotlines.

Northeast
region (Virginia to Maine) Hotline: (978) 281-9351

Southeast
region (Texas to North Carolina) Pager: (305) 862-2850

In 2007
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce
Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation.
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